INTRODUÇÃO BEM-SUCEDIDA DAS NOTAS E MOEDAS DE EURO NA LETÓNIA

15/01/2014

The dual circulation period of lats and euro ended on 14 January 2014.

Lats banknotes and coins can be exchanged for an indefinite period at Latvijas Banka.

Latvia’s dual circulation period, when payments could still be made in lats but change was given in euro, came to an end yesterday. The euro is now the sole legal tender in Latvia, which, on 1 January 2014, became the 18th Member State of the European Union to join the euro area.“The introduction of the euro in Latvia marks yet another milestone in the country’s successful integration into the European project”, said Yves Mersch, member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank. “And it highlights the continuing attractiveness of the euro and the euro area.”

“The smooth changeover results from excellent cooperation between all stakeholders involved – be they Latvian or pan-European”, he added. “But the long-lasting success of the euro in Latvia will depend on the commitment of the people.”

The introduction of euro banknotes and coins has brought to a close months of preparation for the cash changeover by the Latvian authorities. The changeover has progressed smoothly and in line with the national changeover plan devised by a commission of government experts, involving Latvijas Banka and chaired by the Latvian Ministry of Finance. Major private-sector stakeholders in the cash life cycle have played an essential part too. A public campaign providing information about euro banknotes and coins, their design and security features, key dates and other details of the changeover is under way. According to an opinion poll conducted in December 2013 by TNS, a market research group, on behalf of the ECB, 71% of Latvians said they felt prepared for the introduction of the euro.

From a logistical point of view, one of the key elements of the cash changeover plan was the distribution, starting last November, of euro banknotes and coins to banks as well as to retailers and other businesses. It ensured that euro banknotes and coins were widely available in automated teller machines and shops’ cash registers, for instance. By the end of 2013, 17.4 million euro banknotes worth €246.7 million and 125.4 million euro coins worth €36.5 million had been supplied to banks, of which 6 million banknotes and 66 million coins had been passed on to retailers and others. In December last year, banks and post offices also offered some 700,000 coin starter kits containing euro coins with a combined face value of €14.23. The kits enabled people to pay exact amounts in shops and thus reduced the amount of change needed by shopkeepers.

To cover the initial requirements – including the amounts needed for supplying euro cash to banks – and the likely demand in 2014 and beyond, Latvijas Banka has borrowed 110.30 million euro banknotes with a face value of €3.12 billion from the Eurosystem’s stocks. 400 million Latvian euro coins with a face value of €98.80 million have been produced by the State Mints of Baden-Württemberg in Germany.

Latvijas Banka will exchange lats banknotes and coins free of charge at the official conversion rate of EUR 1 = LVL 0.702804 for an indefinite period. 302 post offices in Latvia will do the same until 31 March 2014. Latvian banks will likewise offer this service, free of charge, until 30 June 2014.

Outside Latvia, the national central banks of the euro area will exchange lats banknotes for euro at the official rate until 28 February 2014, free of charge. The amount that can be exchanged is limited to €1,000 for any given party/transaction on any one day.

ACCESS TO MY ACCOUNT

Log in

Feedback form

Feedback form for the download of materials

Please let us know how you intend to distribute our materials.

Use*

Other

Means of distribution*

Other

I would also like to request printed copies of this publication.**

Number copy*

A confirmation of the availability of the publications requested will be sent to the name and address indicated in your account. If you would like to send the publications to another address, please indicate this below.

Address (street and number)*

Address (postal code, city) *

* Required data** The publications are available free of charge from the ECB as long as stocks last.

Feedback form

Feedback form for the download of materials

Please let us know how you intend to distribute our materials.

Use*

Other

Means of distribution*

Other

* Required data

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

LETTER OF INTENT

We wish to use the electronic media and/or print media produced by the European Central Bank (ECB) to inform others. We declare that:
1. Any information or materials received from the ECB will be used for information purposes only.
2. We will not use the “€ OUR MONEY” logo for purposes that could be detrimental to the euro, or for commercial or advertising purposes, and we will adhere to the style guidelines provided in the Partnership Programme.
3. Any electronic materials, pictures, files or documents provided by the ECB will remain its sole property. The ECB will reserve its or third-party copyrights. We will not pass any information or materials received from the ECB to any third party, except for production purposes.
4. Should we use the original master files of materials prepared by the ECB, we will preserve the integrity of the text.
5. We pledge to follow the reproduction rules for euro banknotes and coins as published in the Official Journal of the European Union and available on the ECB’s website at www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/banknotes/reproduction/html/index.en.html.
6. If we use electronic media online, we will include a link to www.new-euro-banknotes.eu and we will inform the ECB of the material used and where it has been used. We will forward the links.
7. We understand that stocks of ECB materials for distribution are limited. We will inform the ECB of the number of copies distributed, the means of distribution as well as the target groups.
On behalf of the company/institution mentioned above, we declare that we will refrain from using any materials either in printed or electronic form provided by the ECB until our membership of the Partnership Programme has been confirmed.
We will be liable for any damages incurred by the ECB should we not act in accordance with this Letter of Intent. We also understand that the ECB reserves the right to terminate our membership at any time.

DISCLAIMER

This privacy notice is made on behalf of the European Central Bank (ECB) and applies to Havas 360, its sub-contractors and all central banks referred to as data processors below.
When you fill in the form on the website http://www.new-euro-banknotes.eu/, we collect personal information directly from you in order to provide you with information on euro banknotes. Your data will be used only for that purpose. You cannot receive information if you do not complete the form.
We keep information on your activity with us and delete it after three years of inactivity. We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
We use this personal information to deal with your request(s), manage your account and offer you other ECB publications.
We disclose this information to our sub-contractor CetSI and on a need-to-know basis to the relevant data processors.

A. Your choices

1) You have the right to see the information that we have about you and to get mistakes corrected by contacting Havas 360;
2) You have the right to delete your account with Havas 360.

B. Important

Your information is protected by European Union law. National data protection laws apply in relation to the technical and organisational security measures to be applied by the data processors mentioned below, unless the data processor is the ECB. Contact details for the European Data Protection Supervisor can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/bodies/supervisor/index_en.htm.

Data controllers may change this privacy notice from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page occasionally to ensure that you are satisfied with any changes. This privacy notice is effective from 22 November 2013.